85-Year Old Bridge Replaced

Producer: Kirkpatrick
Location: Scottsboro, AL

When the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) decided to replace the 84-year-old B.B. Comer bridge over the Tennessee River, it knew that the multi-year project was both a necessity and a monumental undertaking.

Kicked off in 2007, the $54.9 million project was completed in 2015 and replaced the last of 15 memorial bridges built by Alabama State Bridge Corporation in the early-1900s.

Working on the third and final span of the new bridge, Kirkpatrick Concrete, Inc., completed three foundation pours that equaled about 2,900 yards. Each pour took about 26 hours to complete and took place underwater. Shifts of 18 operators used two concrete pumps during the pouring process.

Two different Kirkpatrick plants supplied the concrete, which was specified by ALDOT.

For the final phase of the bridge construction, Kirkpatrick supplied concrete for the decks, which provide a drivable surface for Highway 35 commuters across the Tennessee River. Glassco said the project – which is fairly substantial in size for the rural area where it’s located – went smoothly and that “everyone at the ALDOT is happy with the results so far.”